Keynotes

Karen Ignagni

President and CEO
America's Health Insurance Plans

Click here to read Karen Ignagni's Keynote Speech

As President and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Karen Ignagni is the voice of health insurance plans, representing members that provide health care, long-term care, dental and disability benefits to more than 200 million Americans.

Karen joined the organization as its Chief Executive in 1993.  From there she led two mergers with other organizations to form AHIP in 2003, making AHIP the leading voice for the health plan community in America.

Ms. Ignagni has won many accolades for her leadership.  The New York Times wrote, “In a city teaming with health care lobbyists, Ms. Ignagni is widely considered one of the most effective. She blends a detailed knowledge of health policy with an intuitive feel for politics.” Fortune described the political program Ms. Ignagni spearheaded as “worthy of a presidential election bid.”

Ms. Ignagni regularly testifies before Congress on key federal legislation. In recent years, she has appeared before Senate and House committees on matters ranging from health insurance plans’ role in homeland security to Medicare reform to patient protection issues and access to health care coverage issues.

Prior to 1993, Ms. Ignagni directed the AFL-CIO’s Department of Employee Benefits.  In the 1980s, she was a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, preceded by work at the Committee for National Health Insurance and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

H. Lawrence Culp, Jr.                                                                         

President and Chief Executive Officer, Danaher Corporation
Danaher Corporation

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Mr. Culp is President and Chief Executive Officer of Danaher, a position he has held since May 2001.  Mr. Culp has played a key role in the creation of the Company’s strategic vision, including the evolution of Danaher’s portfolio to a leading science and technology company.  Mr. Culp has also played a leadership role in the development of the Danaher Business System, the common operating philosophy and model deployed across Danaher.  During Mr. Culp’s tenure, Danaher’s revenues have tripled to more than $13 billion and the Company’s market capitalization has increased fourfold to more than $34 billion.

Mr. Culp began his Danaher career in 1990 at Veeder-Root where he became President in 1993.  He subsequently became a Group Executive and Corporate Officer in 1995 where he had primary leadership responsibility for Danaher's Environmental and Test and Measurement businesses.  In 1999 he was appointed Executive Vice President and became Chief Operating Officer in 2000.  

Prior to joining Danaher, Mr. Culp held positions with Accenture.

Mr. Culp is a member of the Board of Directors for GlaxoSmithKline, plc., on the Board of Visitors and Governors for Washington College and on the Board of Trustees for Potomac School.  Mr. Culp earned his B.A. from Washington College and his MBA from Harvard Business School

Bill Crounse

Senior Director, Worldwide Health
Microsoft in Health

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Bill Crounse, MD, is Senior Director, Worldwide Health for the Microsoft Corporation.  He is responsible for providing worldwide thought leadership, vision, and strategy for Microsoft technologies and solutions in the health industry. Prior to joining Microsoft, Dr. Crounse was Senior Vice President, CIO and Chief Medical Information Officer for Overlake Hospital Medical Center and the Overlake Venture Center in Bellevue, Washington.  He is also the co-founder of a technology company dedicated to improving information exchange and connectivity between physicians and their patients.

Dr. Crounse is known internationally for his work in medical communications and information technology.  He is the executive producer, creator and host of the on-line video series Microsoft Health Tech Today.  He is the founder and primary contributor to Microsoft’s HealthBlog.  He is also known for his work in television broadcasting through the many years he was affiliated with ABC Network News, Lifetime Medical Television, Discovery, Medical News Network and other outlets.  Prior to joining Overlake Hospital in 1995, Dr. Crounse was a physician and medical executive with Virginia Mason Medical Center and Group Health in Seattle. He received his B.S. Degree at the University of Puget Sound and is a graduate of the Medical University of Ohio.  As a board certified family physician, he practiced medicine in the Seattle area for 20 years.